Water – Can’t Get Enough

“Nature’s best gift to mankind, Most precious and most undervalued.”

Water surrounds us, but is disguised by nature; therefore our eyes are easily fooled by its many appearances. Because of its abundance, we don’t give water the rightful respect it truly deserves.

The earth is largely covered by the oceans. Man’s physical body is also mostly composed of water. No doubt water is one of nature’s best resources necessary for all living beings which is equally important for humans, animals and plants. But variety in use belongs to humans, from personal drinking and cleaning to commercial uses. It’s required everywhere, everyday and at every level of our lives.

Water is also used as medicine, called Hydrotherapy – an important branch of alternative therapies where healing takes place without any medicine or surgery. By simply learning to deal with the management of diseases by using water, either as an external application or taken internally.

The earth is largely covered by the oceans. Man’s physical body is also mostly composed of water. No doubt water is one of nature’s best resources necessary for all living beings which is equally important for humans, animals and plants.

[blockquote author=”” pull=”normal”]The earth is largely covered by the oceans. Man’s physical body is also mostly composed of water. No doubt water is one of nature’s best resources necessary for all living beings which is equally important for humans, animals and plants.[/blockquote]

Normally, our daily diet provides about two-thirds of the body’s requirement of water. Health practitioners suggest drinking about eight to ten glasses of water everyday, to meet the remaining one-third of the body’s requirement. You need to drink more water when you’re tired and/or sweat profusely.

The benefits of drinking water are often undervalued and misunderstood. Water is not only a thirst quencher and a vital element for many of the body’s biochemical processes; it is also a macronutrient. This means that drinking large amounts of water is required to stay alive. The simple act of drinking 8 glasses of water a day will:

Remove toxins and waste products from the body;

Increase mental and physical performance;

Keep skin healthy and glowing;

Suppress appetite and help metabolise stored fat;

Allow for proper digestion;

Regulate body temperature;

Improve blood circulation; and

Increase immunity.

It is, however, difficult to quantify the exact amount of water each person requires to maintain normal functioning of all the organs of the body. Because the quantity of water required for the body functions depends on several factors as age, climate, season, physical activity, type of food consumed, amount of condiments and spices used for cooking, water content in food, salt intake, etc.

Equally important is to know when not to drink water. Absolutely avoid water consumption during meal time. Water merely washes the unchewed food into the stomach. The enzymes in saliva can only act on chewed food, that’s food in smaller pieces. The water leaves the stomach only five to ten minutes, taking along with it to the stomach smaller food particles. The intestine then washes the water out. Ending in indigestion.

A new term called the Dumping Syndrome can be seen in today’s fast paced lifestyle, food wise. You dump your food into the stomach, which in turn dumps the food out. You can blame the chef or hotel for your upset stomach. But the truth is that it’s your fault. The secret is in chewing your food to initiate the proper digestion, which is a chain reaction. How to drink water properly is very essential to a healthy body. Most people tend to drink water in large gulps.

This irritates the stomach, which get eroded by long term water washing down. Drinking liquids either very hot (tea, coffee) or very cold (soft drinks) worsens the inner stomach lining faster. It’s recommended to “eat the liquids and drink the solids”. This means that you should take water sip by sip and “chew” it in your mouth to mix it with the saliva. Avoid regular use of straws for drinking water/ fluids. Water should not be substituted by tea, coffee or soft drinks. These beverages do not contain water, but they also contain other substances which lead to dehydration. As a result, the body not only excretes the water content in these beverages but also water is excreted from the body’s water reserve. Regular intake of aerated drinks and juices automatically reduces the urge to drink water, even when these beverages are not available.

Different drinking waters are available for general consumption. There is pure water and pure water with added minerals artificially. These artificially added minerals maybe rejected or deposited in parts of the body, causing health problems. However natural sources of water containing minerals are beneficial to the body because of their natural affinity towards the natural water mineral content. Important to remember nature is difficult to duplicate. Natural is always the best.

There is something magical about hot water, it heals and soothes. Slipping into a hot bath, releases physical and mental tension. We are now just realizing the benefits of a simple hot water bath. Natural hot water springs have become secret areas for healing and rejuvenation. A modern bathroom has brought hot water into almost every house. Hot water is more then a convenience. Used properly, it is a powerful therapeutic agent.

Cool water from natural sources is bottled up and sold in stores. Cold water is especially refreshing on a hot summer’s day or after exercise. Cold splashes on tired eyes are remarkably awakening. Much used in my student life during my medical studies as an alternative to tea drinking for late night studying. A mini facial is using alternatively hot and cold splashes over the face, very refreshing especially in tropical weather.

Yoga also incorporates “water therapy” amongst its therapeutic benefits. I used to think yoga was only about slow postures. But fortunately I found a Yoga guru who taught me a variety of water therapies. Under my Yoga teacher’s guidance, I started with “ghajahkarni” an early morning water therapy. The benefits are numerous and this really lifts your energy level up. So simple yet so effective. This is an age-old therapy that is a complete cure for headaches, migraines and sinus. Almost all practitioners are benefited from this trouble. It completely cleans the whole of the thoracic region and naturally drains off the sinus. Its practice also improves eyesight and skin problems such as pigmentation, acne, pimples and eczema.

My next yoga water therapy was “shankaprakshalana” or the total oral-anal cleanse. As opposed to the colon cleanse, which uses apparatus, medical personal and cleans only the colon via enema. This yoga therapy was a total surprise to me as its quite simple, using water orally, followed by specific yoga postures and then utilizing natural body sewage mechanism. Clears oral-to-anal-, your system feels baby clean, after washing out all toxins, stuck waste material to the inner gut lining. Plus there’s no need to buy any colon cleanse apparatus, all natural. It cleanses the whole engine of the body. The good thing about this is that you can do it at the comfort of your own home.

My next water therapy was the “water fast”. This is whole day’s routine consisting of water and light nutritious snacks and fruits, spread evenly throughout the day. This technique gives the body time to rest and relax, while cleaning the inside out with the water fast. Whatever the body problems it is deals with individually. The effects of this were still felt long after I completed the therapy.

“Blood Purification”, my current yoga therapy in progress, mainly consists of drinking plain water coupled with a touch of yoga. The course spans over forty eight days. Ashorter course of ten day is also available. I can feel the benefits in the first week. Extremely simple yet contains a wide scale of therapeutic advantages, as the name suggests. It is amazing to witness and experience this whole purification system. As a doctor, I found this experience overwhelming.

As water is all natural and is nature’s best gift, it is definitely worth the effort to try to see the results for yourself. Can be done simultaneously while continuing with your prescribed medications. After all its only water, which is good for anyone. “Be like water, change colour, change form, change direction, but keep flowing”.